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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23949028">The Difference</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophies_earbuds/pseuds/sophies_earbuds'>sophies_earbuds</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Team Foster-Keefe One Shots [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Sokeefe - Freeform, and large dresses, i pretty much made up my own new timeline, it's cute, jolie is alive, just flirting, mentions of biana and fitz, no kissing, pure fluff, team foster keefe, this was self indulgent</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 01:22:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,148</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23949028</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophies_earbuds/pseuds/sophies_earbuds</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sophie couldn't stop herself from falling for a boy, and after awhile, she doesn't want to. All she can do is speed up the process.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sophie Foster/Keefe Sencen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Team Foster-Keefe One Shots [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1453891</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>78</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Difference</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hello!! it's been a hot minute since i last published on here (Nov. 22) and i seriously only wrote this to be a little self indulgent, and to bring myself back to what made me start loving fanfiction in the first place: the freedom to do anything. i tried to tap into little twelve year old me, and remember what that person wanted to see in a fanfic, instead of becoming one of the writers who follows the cookie cutter all the time. i first started writing because nobody was writing the stuff i wanted to read, so i hope you enjoy this fic, even if it is a little short (it certainly isn't 14k) because im proud of it. i don't remember the last time i wrote a fic in less than a week and still enjoyed the end product - let it be known, sometimes simplicity is key. </p>
<p>you don't want to read my ramble though, but i appreciate all of you that have. i hope you love this little fic as much as i do</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sophie wasn’t used to having to deal with her feelings unless she was forced to. So when she got the feeling like she might make the first move on the boy in which her subconscious had chosen, she almost didn’t leave the house that morning. </p>
<p>Sure, it was her fault she’d fallen for a stupid boy, but it was his fault for being stupid; she had nothing to do with the way he acted or the things he said. But for some reason, she just had to fall for the cheesy lines, and that playful smile, that sparkle he got in his eyes every time he could tell he’d broken through her facade. It was a good kind of stupid, the kind that made her laugh and kept her on her toes.</p>
<p>Yes, she had boundaries. He just knew to climb high enough to get past them, higher than anyone else had ever climbed for her before. Everyday he climbed higher and higher, reaching the point where even Sophie was afraid, and there was nothing she could do about it. All she could do was watch, and greet him when he finally came to the door. </p>
<p>She wanted it to slow down. But at the same time, she wished it would just happen, so she didn’t have to wait in suspense anymore, wondering if he was climbing on purpose, or if he had just come across the boundary by chance.</p>
<p>So she waited. For fear of scaring him away, or of accelerating the process to a speed that would get them both hurt. </p>
<p>At the moment, she was in one of those acceleration moods. All she wanted was for him to just go faster, to get it over with, put her out of her misery. And she definitely couldn’t keep up her barrier when he was looking at her like that, like she was the main character in a movie from the early 2000’s. It didn’t help that she was blonde, and wearing a dress that was about three times her size in diameter. </p>
<p>“Keefe, focus!”</p>
<p>He didn’t focus. </p>
<p>She rolled her eyes, pulling up the bottom of the dress so her legs could breathe, accidentally spreading glitter everywhere. Keefe only seemed to fall out of his trance when he saw the look on her face. </p>
<p>“Jeez, Foster, no need to get all cagefighter on me. You know I’m gonna say you look beautiful in any dress you try on. And not because I’m not paying attention.” </p>
<p>There it was. The cheesy line that made her face burn up, suddenly making it way too hot for her to be in a dress that had more layers than her sixteenth birthday cake.</p>
<p>“Well, do you have a favorite?” she asked, brushing her hands together to shake off the glitter that was coating her palms. No doubt she’d have to do that again after she changed out of the dreaded dress. </p>
<p>“I liked the second one, with the lacy sleeves.”</p>
<p>If he could feel her annoyance, he sure didn’t show it. “Then why have I been trying on these dresses for two hours?”</p>
<p>He flashed that charming smirk. “Because when else am I gonna get the opportunity to see Sophie Foster in a bunch of way too fancy dresses?” </p>
<p>Sophie made a mental note to throw a pillow at him later. </p>
<p>Instead, she settled for smacking the dress, showering him in holographic sparkles that made him look like an illegitimate vampire. </p>
<p>“Okay, the glitter bomb was not called for.”</p>
<p>“If I have to be covered in glitter, so do you,” she countered, crossing her arms over her chest, which was a lot less intimidating when it was accompanied by the rustling of tulle. </p>
<p>Keefe stood up, brushing off his pants as he told her, “I still don’t get why you’re trying these on. I thought you had, like, a million and one dresses to wear from Della, plus whatever you picked out of Jolie’s closet.”</p>
<p>Sophie’s face felt warm again. “The problem with that, Keefe, is that I’m not twelve anymore. Pretty much everything in my closet is too small, and Jolie made me promise I’d come home with at least one new thing.” </p>
<p><i>The problem,</i> she thought, <i>is that twelve year old Sophie was a stick, and seventeen year old Sophie has finally gone through puberty.</i></p>
<p>“That sister of yours is very demanding,” Keefe noted, signaling for Sophie to turn around. She obliged, pulling her tulle along with her with a very noisy <i>swish.</i>  </p>
<p>She held her breath as Keefe came closer, the hair on her arms and neck standing up straight when he touched her shoulder blade, pulling on the zipper of her dress so agonizingly slow she wanted to walk away and do it herself, spare herself the embarrassment. </p>
<p>Eight different dresses, and this was the only one he’d helped her get out of. She may just have to buy it anyway, simply so nobody else could make another memory in it. </p>
<p>She tried to thank him, but her voice wasn’t working, so all that came out was a pathetic puff of air as she walked back into the dressing room. </p>
<p>She pulled off the dress immediately, wondering <i>why?</i> and, <i>is my face going to return to its natural color anytime soon?</i></p>
<p>Something about the action felt different. Much less friendly, much too delicate, and scarily intimate, none of which were things she’d been prepared for that day. It made less and less sense the more she mulled over it as she pulled on her regular clothes, trying to avoid seeing herself in the mirror. She didn’t want to know what dumbstruck expression she had on her face.</p>
<p><i>You’re going to need dresses, Sophie. You’re a regent,</i> Jolie had told her, walking behind her as she went downstairs to see if there were any custard bursts left. <i>Maybe you should take Keefe with you, I’m sure he’d</i> love <i>to see an All Sophie Fashion Show.</i></p>
<p>Having an older sister was a blessing and a curse. The look on her face when she said the word love. The whole concept made her nauseous, made her wish she could reinforce those boundaries that were being breached. </p>
<p>Sure, having an adult sister was great in theory; less annoying, could help with homework, sometimes offer great advice based on life experience. What nobody told Sophie, however, was that Jolie was basically still a teenager in almost every way. She had a youthful glow to her, one so different from the rest of the elves Sophie had met, like a sixteen year old stuck in time. She was mature in a way Sophie couldn’t even explain, and they’d both been through enough trauma to know what it meant to become mature at a young age. </p>
<p>Jolie was only eighteen when her fiance died in a fire that was supposed to kill her. The worst part? He was the one who set the fire, and Jolie had been left wondering whether he’d done it on purpose, or if it really was an accident. </p>
<p>After that, sixteen years passed until Sophie came into the picture, uncovering way too many secrets and finally giving Jolie, the girl seemingly made of porcelain, the truth: her fiance was an unregistered pyrokinetic, and was part of the band of rebels who’d been after her and her family - their family - for years. The same people who kidnapped Sophie the moment she started to feel like she belonged. </p>
<p>Jolie went from just barely hanging on to looking at the world with a whole new sense of determination. If Sophie didn’t know any better, she’d think Jolie was meant to be the Moonlark instead of her. </p>
<p>Except for the times when Jolie decides to poke her head into Sophie’s love life. Because of her suggestion, she had a boy unzipping her dress for her in a very public space.</p>
<p>Things could have been worse. That was pretty much her motto after everything. Things could always be worse. </p>
<p>She hung the dress back up on its hanger, fanning her face in the process to help with the burning, because when she blushed, she blushed hard. </p>
<p>“You okay in there? Need me to beat up some dresses for you?” Keefe called from the other side of the door. </p>
<p>Sophie pulled her hair out of her face with a hair tie, not even caring if it looked okay or not as she called back, “trust me, these dresses would overtake you if you tried.” </p>
<p>Quickly, she gathered the two dresses she was buying, leaving the rest on the hangers labelled for going back into the store. After a minute her face started to calm down, looking less red as she mustered the courage to finally check herself in the floor to ceiling mirror, making faces until she found one she was okay with showing to the world.   </p>
<p>She walked back into what the boutique called <i>The Viewing Room,</i> making her feel like she was one of those annoying brides on <i>Say Yes To The Dress.</i> Her human mom used to watch it all the time, critiquing the dresses as if she knew anything about the women on the TV screen. Sophie never did understand the appeal of reality television, she was always a sci-fi and fantasy geek like her dad.</p>
<p>“You’re getting the glitter bomb?” Keefe asked, staring at her quizzically, adorning an amused smirk.</p>
<p>Sophie’s smile became sheepish. “Yeah, figured it would make Jolie happy, since she’s gonna be the one borrowing it and never giving it back.”</p>
<p>Keefe draped an arm over her shoulders, pulling her into a close side hug as they walked out of the small room. Sophie scanned the room, the glittering floors and mirrored walls reminding her of <i>Forever 21,</i> the dreaded store Amy always forced them to go into, even though all of the clothes had something wrong with them. Keefe seemed to make the same unimpressed face at the floor that Sophie always made when she entered <i>Forever 21.</i> “And here I thought you were acquiring a taste for all things sparkly.” </p>
<p>“The day I voluntarily wear this much glitter, you better splash a cup of water in my face to wake me up,” she said, handing over her Very Green Money Cube to the woman at the front of the store. Even Biana didn’t wear dresses as extravagant as the one this woman was wearing. </p>
<p>“Aw, are you shopping for his winnowing gala?” she asked before they could get away. “That’s adorable. I remember going to my boyfriend’s gala. We’ve been engaged five months now.”</p>
<p>Suddenly Sophie was very aware of Keefe’s arm around her shoulders, realizing that they probably <i>did</i> look like a couple, which was not helping her internal battle. </p>
<p>“Just a regular party,” Keefe started, which wasn’t totally a lie. “I’m just the lifeguard, without me she’d drown in fabric.” </p>
<p>Great, sure. Technically, it was true, but she certainly hadn’t told him that she was shopping for the party. In fact, she’d told him she was going to avoid as much of it as possible. So where was he getting the idea that she’d buy a whole new dress for it?</p>
<p>She also noticed how he didn’t correct the insinuation that they were dating, making her heart skip about a thousand beats. She didn’t know how she was still standing, feeling Keefe’s arm around her shoulders, his finger tracing absent circles on her upper arm. She could still feel the way his hands ghosted her skin as he unzipped her dress, and she suddenly found herself blinking quite quickly, trying to expel the memory from her head before it made her turn around and kiss him on the spot. </p>
<p>Her patience was quickly dwindling, going down like the water in a pool with a leak. </p>
<p>“Oh, you’re the Ruewen’s girl! I’m so sorry, I should have recognized you.”</p>
<p>“No, really, it’s oka-”</p>
<p>“I’ll send you on your way now, no need to interrupt your day with talk from a fan. Have a good day!”</p>
<p>And with that, they walked off, Keefe not even trying not to laugh. </p>
<p>Sophie wished she hadn’t put her hair into a ponytail so she could hide her face in it, and instead settled for staring at her shoes. “Since when do I have fans?”</p>
<p>Keefe squeezed her tighter, saying, “own it, Princess, you saved the world.”</p>
<p>It wasn’t like Sophie loved nicknames, and most of Keefe’s were absolutely ridiculous, but this one made her feel warm all over; she had to stop herself from fanning her face. It was a nickname she’d heard used so many times in television shows, with the perfect couple living their perfect lives, the boyfriend calls the girlfriend his princess, and he’s her knight in shining armor. It seemed so odd, so out of place, for someone to be directing this nickname at her. It made it so much harder for her to pretend like there was nothing between her and Keefe. </p>
<p>She <i>wanted</i> him to be her knight in shining armor. Or at least to be the guy whose arms she runs into when she needs to be held. </p>
<p>“<i>We</i> saved the world,” she said absentmindedly, putting together a horrible plan of action that would surely end badly for both of them. </p>
<p>“Nah, I didn’t do much. Mostly just stood by and made things harder for you.”</p>
<p>“Well, then, you were a very good cheerleader,” Sophie teased.</p>
<p>Concentrating on a conversation while thinking about something else was proving to be extremely hard for Sophie, and every time she had to think of something to say, she had to shake her head to remind her where she was. She never thought she could be so distracted, and for once her many abilities didn’t help. She’d have to ask Mr. Forkle about that dual concentration thing he did.</p>
<p>“Keefe?”</p>
<p>“Hm?”</p>
<p>“Do you ever think about what it’ll be like when all of our friends start having their winnowing galas?” </p>
<p>Keefe was quiet for a moment, and his hold on Sophie seemed to tighten, as if she’d run away any moment. “I know it’s gonna be different. I’m not really looking forward to it.”</p>
<p>Sophie let out the breath she’d been holding, relieved to hear that someone else felt the same way she did. “No doubt Fitz and Biana will be off with their matches any day now,” she said, hoping this conversation was going in the direction she wanted it to go. </p>
<p>“I’m sure there’ll be… a lot of changes coming soon. But you shouldn’t worry, if that’s what you’re thinking.” </p>
<p>Sophie scrunched her eyebrows together, finally looking up at him. He was so tall by that point that she’d given up any hope of her growing even an inch taller. “What do you mean?” she asked, unable to catch her breath. </p>
<p>He looked away, something he only did when he was nervous. “I mean, you’re not gonna be left behind or anything. The Foster Fan Club is huge, and nobody cares if you’re unmatchable.”</p>
<p>She hadn’t even been thinking about her unmatchable status. Amidst all of the chaos with the Neverseen, she’d mostly forgotten about her desire to sign up for the match, especially after she’d realized her feelings for Keefe. He’d once said he was waiting to sign up, to see how a few things shake out. Maybe this was the time for them to shake out. </p>
<p>“Even you?”</p>
<p>She knew she was asking a stupid question, because of course Keefe wouldn’t care. He’d told her before that he didn’t care. </p>
<p>“Nothing could ever change the way I feel about you.”</p>
<p>The streets of Atlantis weren’t a very romantic place, and they were packed with people, but at the moment Sophie didn’t want to be anywhere else, not when they were so close.</p>
<p>She knew that what he said wasn’t exactly an indication of their relationship taking the next step, but something about the way he said it made her thoughts switch from hummingbird speed to tunnel vision, and all she could think about was what she was possibly going to say after that. </p>
<p>“Why are you waiting to sign up for the match?” she asked, trying to keep on track. She wanted to come out and say exactly what she wanted, but for some reason her mouth wouldn’t let her. Like her tongue had a mind of its own and blocked anything her brain sent its way. </p>
<p>“I told you, just waiting to see-”</p>
<p>“How things shake out. Yeah, I remember.”</p>
<p>Keefe rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. “That’s it,” he said, but he was sounding less confident by the minute, and Sophie figured that if she didn’t do it herself, neither of them ever would. </p>
<p>She felt her blood run cold at the mere thought of telling him how she felt, and the tips of her fingers had started tingling, sending off huge warning signs that were telling her <i>NO! Stop what you’re doing before you ruin this!</i></p>
<p>Before she could tell the voice to shut up, she was already blurting out the words, “I like you.”</p>
<p>She could have sworn her heart dropped into her stomach when Keefe stopped walking. </p>
<p>“You knew that though, didn’t you?”</p>
<p>“Not for sure.” She could see he was struggling to find something to say, just as she was before. He swallowed before adding, “I wanted to hear it, wait for you to be ready to admit it on your own time.” </p>
<p>He pulled his arm away and stood to look at her, and the slight smile on his face made her swoon against her will; she felt like she could finally smile again, unafraid that he was going to shoot her down. She was looking at the face of someone who’d heard <i>good</i> news. Like she was Alicia Silverstone, and he was Paul Rudd, finally reaching their happy ending. She never thought her life would end up like a 90’s romcom, but that was the only thought going through her head. It was a vast improvement to the Hillary Duff feels from before. </p>
<p>“I’m not very good at this,” Keefe admitted, but Sophie shook her head with a fond grin. </p>
<p>“Nobody is, not if they really mean it.” </p>
<p>Sure, there wasn’t a heart fluttering, leg popping kiss, but they had something Sophie saw of much more value. </p>
<p>“Who would have thought <i>I’d</i> be the one rendering <i>you</i> speechless?” she teased, bumping his shoulder with her own as they started walking again. This time, instead of draping an arm around her, he took her hand. And maybe they weren’t as close as before, but Sophie was grateful for the change of pace; she felt as though he’d acknowledged the difference between the before and the after. Before, they were friends. And after? Well, they’d figure that out with time.</p>
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